Just five years ago, the United States was involved in nearly every aspect of Iraq’s life, from economic reconstruction to political development to military cooperation. Now, analysts say, regional power broker Iran dominates the Iraqi landscape. On the battlefield, Iran is helping Iraq push out Sunni-dominated Islamic State extremists from key northern cities. Trade between […]
Pakistani officials say they executed 12 male convicts Tuesday, in the largest single-day total since the government lifted a moratorium on the death penalty. Ten prisoners were hanged at jails in Punjab province, while two others were hanged in the southern city of Karachi. Revocation of the policy was first applied only to those prisoners […]
The Islamic State militant group, which controls parts of Syria and Iraq, has accepted a pledge of allegiance from the Nigeria-based Boko Haram extremist organization. In an audio statement Thursday, an Islamic State spokesman welcomed what he called the expansion of the group’s self-declared Islamic caliphate to West Africa. “The caliph, may God protect him, […]
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei criticized an open letter sent by 47 U.S. Republican Senators to Tehran about the ongoing negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program, saying the move showed “disintegration” in U.S. politics. The letter warns that the next U.S. president could revoke any deal Iran may reach with a group of six world […]